Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-06-04
pnslle senool renenors ana tl.e. sa aaI

Public school Tcnch9rs and tie bMm.!
sner Normal School.
Mr., EDITOR-I, confess | was sHrls
prisel at the letter i'll your las s5ll l.s
ever The signature of MIG. G. ,loEles..
/ have ALWAYS regarded him as a;isexee y
lent and skilful teacher. and an anll;tgle,|
and Intelligent gentcman. But hoWshe
discovered that had 'spremaJurely;ss as
sailel experienced teachers in my9leCss
ter of the 10Th inst, is more than Lean
comprehend, AMI emphatically deny;
That it will bear any such constructions
Possibly he read between the lines.or
drew upon his imagination for the hldFs
den meaning. l stand by the language
in the clause to winch he objects, and
will lcavcit to an intelligent publlctp
decide if it can by any sophislly be tor:
turttl into "prtmaturely assailHiy teach
els of experience - Here is The enL1re.
objectionable cl:lse, Thorough ncfs
MAJ training is Of immense advantage
to teachers, but owing TO tie great
lumbar of our schools and tile small
salaries we lire able tupay, we cannot
secure the services OF teache rs--hi.yins,.
such training, but we can. ilad US school
trustees Should give preference to those,
who have e,.crey, industry and ambi-
ton to Try 10 impruye themselves by a.
tending Sutuner Normal and Teachers
Institutes. u
l lave no apology to make for this
sentence. Will Mr. JONES dispute the
first cIause2 Then refer him to the.
highest authorities i'll this country and
III Europe, but l can only quote ;tfew1
extracts from Dir. Curry ii his address.
blfore ~ committee Of the Virginia
legislature. He says, Even graduates
of colleges need special prepsratlon.Io.js6
teaching us for aGy, other prof. 81
4 Normal scae9l !ga pl9s that
may be applied to tue communication
OF knowledge, and S8&sle development.
Of lncntalpOwer: LAthe knowledges otEs
Teaching Il subject. is moro than-;tlilets3
knowledge OF the subject itself. or II; Lnee1
ability To teach is more than the ahillCys
to learn, lilcll special attention musgsDs.
given the teaching l.ower. Every pro- pro y
rcssion needs a general and :: speclaE
preparation. General knowledge does
rot make u drctnr,l llwyer,an engineer
or an architect, nor will it make Il tracilsii
err But viii admit that experience:
will 20 far to supply the lack of Normal;
training and that we have many skllfuI
and successful teachers, IUf whom MI,
.]oynes is a conspicuous eXanlple,l VINO
owe their success, dis educators, TO OK
perience, intelligence and ZEAL, and IN
some instances To Special aptitude Tor
TEACHERS profession No sensible truss
lee would undervalue such teachers, or
give inexperienced Normal trained
teachers IL preference over them, butsll
/ nv district majority Ut the teachers
lave had but little experience, and no
Normal training-m;Lny OF them llitSSiiksss|
Taught but 1t Single scssion-.a--;s =
teachers do not attend the Sunl!nef
Normal, and thus Try to qualify them,
selves for the position, they seek, Shall
consider them lacking i'll interest and
zeal for the educational Work and shall
certainly give my yotetor those WHO DO
attenu-olher things being equal. Iiiere
is no royal road to that pedagoSlc KNOW,
edge which is necessary tUa skii1ul anu
successful teacher, and practically there
is no limit to progress III the an VI
teaching All c1ptriel ced t"achers
mus, admit they improve from year ~
wear. Thenlre they LOllcglect the speciAl
means Of improving themselves WIFI
offered to tueln in their own county,
and ut nominal expense? Ano
they should remember that by at
tending This Normal and trying TO nake
# a SUCCESS, they CAN greatly Dcnel'
lIrir inexperienced co-laborers III The
school room, and maintain among thxEl
That esprit de corps so encourage, nea
animating to /. collective " snd
Mr. .IoyIrs wants thep eng ant
c ,,,' ~, If th.ir small $. 'oody. but :
cunlous cllcaLais..iaaries and impe- egg
oia' oiu e tat ices. These are the
u IL i'l.po ii,o.'"Htor performance
: t t.,u co Obligations, L hold that :
NsSest, progressive teachers will at4 y
may - require some sAerlllcs,
:. - Lie uIvnc5 willreiuaihaG home.
one simplJhiseS with the poorly \
|, anu inpecunious teachers more tag
II / do, but say lu them ''dU not orr
( in your tentS,'; but buckle OIL your
lor and fight the blto.u OF life brave r
Try TO make yourselves thoroughly I
lpetent to teach, and the public will Sta,
reciate your efforts, aid will reward zee
according TO your progress. Don't CIV
gine You cannot improve because
lave some experience. Prof. Brent, T
Q OF the lincoL teachers in the SLte), |!
fitted lie WIS greatly interested anG pul
elittcd by tho Normal 1T Onancocl
mere IL teaclersOn the Peninsula that
ks he Call make no farther progress +
is profession? Let him say so over forl
signature i'll the ENTERPRISE, but It'll
lln attend this Normal, and have tru
mind diSabused, even if it does mil
md his self con, cit. dan
Ir. JUynes Says ''the whole system woo
all tile methods OF normal training
normal teaching, is simply the out
with OF the experience Ut some of the a
educators, of our county," Oh,
Nj. Joynes. Drop the last three +
ds of your sentence and agree with fire.,
but there is some wisdom in other
ntrles. Dr.. Curry says i'll Europe
Normal school is regarded ils Il llec- Il
Try auxiliary toa system Of public
cation. 1t was first established in n
lIIany over POO years ago, and in that son
ntry Normal schools are most nu- fish
GUS and Furnishing Oh, tIlit our ire,
Germany could lead in the nen
1t educational work. ~.
J. d. PARSONS.